A whistle rings through the dense air, the players’ feet dig into the moist turf, and screams erupt in the stands. The student section is filled to the brim and the entire student body chants out synchronized calls, proud to be a ‘Bulldawg, confidently sporting face paint and spirit day flair. Leading the student section this year are seniors Easton Lewis, Lola Armand, Matthew Villanueva, and junior Jayden Youngblood.
“I wanted to do something to make sure the student section stayed respectful while also being hyped,” Lewis said. “Our athletes are having fun out there, but it’s important we show up for them because they feed off of the crowd.”
Staff members who attended Bowie before teaching are able to compare the current state of Bowie spirit to how it used to be. Economics teacher Glen Lewis is Easton’s father and is one of those teachers. Glen went to Bowie, used to coach football here at the school, and is now focused on teaching economics.
“Bowie’s spirit back during the class of 1994 was awesome,” Glen said. “We had students writing songs, we had a homecoming parade, and it sure sounded like at least half the student body was in the stands for every game.”
Easton grew up on the Bowie sidelines, watching games, his father coaching, and the students making noise in the stands. He has been involved in Bowie’s spirit culture since he was just a kid and has continued to be involved since his freshman year.
“I grew up around the Bowie football program and I always thought it’d be really cool to get involved,” Easton said. “I’ve always been super passionate about school spirit and last year it was super cool to watch how my older friends conducted the student section. So, they definitely led me into this position.”
The spirit leaders have stepped into their position this year with the goal of increasing spirit across the school. In past years, Bowie has had students who led the student section, but this year the official title of spirit leader has been revived.
“Our student section needs more energy and school pride,” Armand said. “We’re definitely helping by showing it’s okay to be silly, go all out, and just have fun while supporting our team. And I really love seeing everyone come together and cheer for our team.”
The spirit leaders dress up for every spirit day and are constantly encouraging everyone to come to the games. Their efforts has had a corralling effect on the school as they are making sure the student section and spirit days are more entertaining.
“I hadn’t seen our student section that packed out in a long time, especially during my four years,” Easton said. “Seeing everybody come out for the season opener was super cool and I really appreciated it.”
Easton himself is a Bowie athlete and is on the varsity baseball team, so he and the other spirit leaders plan to continue their good example of school pride throughout the year. The spirit team hopes to attend volleyball, basketball, and baseball games to show what school spirit means to them.
“Having school spirit is more than just, I go to this school and I love going to this school,” Easton said. “It’s showing up for your friends who are going out there, competing, and showing up for early practices. Because coming from an athlete seeing my friends support me win or lose means a lot.”
Glen is the announcer at the football games, and as the ‘voice’ of the ‘Bulldawgs, he often sees how much energy other teams are bringing to Bowie’s own home games.
“I peep down from the announcer’s box as often as possible and it’s pretty disappointing,” Glen said. “I feel like AISD is more concerned with what they deem safety issues than letting kids support their classmates. But, I do think having a spirit leader is a step in the right direction. Having someone that is looked to promote healthy support of peers, and gives the administration a group they can discuss concerns with.”
The spirit leaders are already coming up with spirit ideas. And plan to continue the tradition of spirit leader, looking to their spirited underclassmen.
“At other schools the students look excited because the pep rallies are fun and interactive,” Armand said. “So, I think it would be better if we had more games that picked people from the crowd or just made it more like a party so the students could really enjoy it.”
The spirit team has many other problems to tackle throughout the year, but the team is already enjoying the return of the spirit leader tradition and the football season. Easton especially enjoys spirit day themes.
“Seeing everybody dress up and take their own spin on things is super cool,” Easton said. “But I’d love to see my favorite change to pep rallies and see people wearing Texas sized mums, but it’s a little hard to do all that in one year. But I really want this year to be as fun as it can be for everybody and I hope everybody shows up to the games.”
